In a race dominated by Felipe Massa but won by his teammate Fernando Alonso, Horner believes Ferrari should have given each of its drivers a fair shot at the win. It's what his own team did a few races back, in Turkey, when they put a win on the line just to show everyone that Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber have an equal shot at the title.
“It's a great shame for Formula 1 that the race was manipulated to give one driver a victory over the other. We came in for a lot of criticism in Istanbul for allowing our drivers to race but I think that it's the fair and sporting thing to do,” Horner told Autosport after the German Grand Prix.
“The only losers today are Formula 1. Ferrari are a big enough team that they shouldn't need to do that and Fernando is a good enough driver not to, particularly at this point in the season when there are still hundreds of points available.”
“The biggest losers are the fans, the spectators, the viewers as a race win was handed to Fernando. Rightly or wrongly, we've allowed our drivers to race because we believe that's the sporting thing to do and it also is within the regulations,” added the Red Bull principal.
Additionally, Horner insisted that the International Automobile Federation (FIA) should act immediately in punishing Ferrari for their obvious team orders, otherwise it could set a dangerous precedent for the future of the sport.
“The FIA has all of the facts and it was done in such an obvious way and it would be a great shame if it's left unpunished because it sets a precedent that is wrong for F1,” added Horner.
The Brit was not the only Red Bull figure to send this message to the FIA, as Dr. Helmut Marko, the team's motorsport advisor, publicly asked for a drastic penalty for Ferrari in August, when the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) will make its final decision on the events in Germany.
“It is unbelievable how awkwardly they demonstrated who is their number one. The FIA must react with a drastic punishment,” said Marko.
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